Page 26 of Scorching the Alien Empire
He waves a dismissive hand at her, his tone laced with contempt. “This is a ship of war. Females like you have no place here.”
Sandra’s lip trembles, her face flushing with a mix of embarrassment and anger. Her eyes flick to Dracoth, clearly hoping for support. But my Mr. Frowny Face is as supportive as a shove down the stairs. He stands there, a constipated statue carved with indifference.
Looks like this one’s on me.
“Now,” I interject, stepping forward gracefully with hands raised in placation. “Let’s all calm down and—”
My words die on my lips. Sandra whirls around and bolts for the door, the sound of her sobbing echoing off the cold, black walls.
“Sandra!” I call after her, but she doesn’t stop. The training room door swooshes shut behind her, cutting off the sight of her shaking shoulders.
Fury surges in me, and I round on Jazreal, teeth clenched. “For fuck’s sake, Jazzy!” I snap.
So much for my plans to set them up. Now they’ve gone up in smoke—just like the ruined side of his stupid face.
“I merely state the—”
“Shut up!” I jab a finger under his chin, glaring up at him with every ounce of my rage. “I won’t let you scare her away from me. You’ve seen what I’m capable of. Don’t—fucking—testme.”
His green eyes flash with defiance, but I hold my ground, meeting his glare head-on. For a moment, the tension hangs thick between us. Then, finally, he bows his head ever so slightly—barely noticeable, but enough.
Good. I’d hate it if he forced me to squash his guts out.
“Babes,” I sigh, taking a deep breath to steady myself, summoning every ounce of composure. “Are we heading toward that Drexios guy now?” I glance up at my battered husband.
Dracoth’s swollen, bloodied face is unreadable, but through our bond, I can feel the faint pulse of his pride and amusement.
“Yes. In a few days, we’ll reach Sothis Prime.”
“Brilliant,” I mutter, my gaze dropping as my mind churns with plans. Once we deal with him, Krogoth and Rocks will be next. The thought makes my heart flutter with excitement—the game, the challenge, our sweet victory, our unstoppable rise to the top.
Wonderful!
“I better go find Sandra,” I sigh, snapping out of my joyous musings. Knowing her, she’s probably sulking at the far end of this enormous ship by now.
“You two have fun playing with your big sticks,” I tease with a chuckle, waving over my shoulder as I turn to leave.
The metal door whizzes shut behind me, and I hug myself, shivering in the stale, musky chill of this enormous ship. Black marble corridors stretch out to my left and right, punctuated by large rectangular viewports.
Outside, a stunning kaleidoscope of swirling colors dances across the void, their shimmering light rippling over the sleek walls like reflections on water. The floor beneath me rumbles faintly, and the low, steady hum of engines is the only sound echoing through the vessel’s hollow halls.
I tap my fingers against my lips, mulling over where Sandra might have run off to: her quarters? The canteen? The shower room? Out an airlock?
Who knows?
With no better idea, I head down the corridor to my right, toward her personal room. I mean, it makes sense—after all, that’s where I used to go after blazing fights with Mother. Though, in fairness, she wasn’t an eight-foot-tall alien murder man. Still, when she was furious, she could be just as terrifying.
A pang of longing stabs at me—an unexpected ache to see Mother again. To see her Botox-riddled eyebrows twitch in that half-hearted attempt at surprise. Just so I could tell her, face-to-face, how much I hate her. How wrong she was. How right I was.
She abandoned me, twice—first at that horrible boarding school, then again later, washing her hands of me entirely. She wanted me to disappear, to fade out of her life like I’d never existed.
Well, guess what, Mother? I didn’t disappear. I thrived. Without you. Without Father. Without anyone.
Except Dracoth.
He brought out my strength. Together, we are unstoppable.
My footsteps echo softly on the marble floor as I glide through the dim, purple-lit corridor. Door after door, stairwell after stairwell—they blur together, the mysteries behind them hidden in shadow. The sheer scale of the ship is staggering, and I can’t shake the spooky vibe, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. No laughter. No voices. No footsteps. Just a black tomb, hurtling through the void.
